Palenque


After a 17 hour bus ride from Oaxaca to Palenque The buses could have made this ride shorter but the roads near the border with Guaatemala are not safe at the moment.  There have been incidents of bandits setting up roadblocks and even police officers extorting money from travelers.  This will all change when they get the Maya train running.  A huge project that will be a circuit around the Maya sites by fast train.

We are here at the ruins of the temple of Pakal the great's.  The setting is the jungle.  The sounds here remind me of all the jungle movies I ever saw. 
Pakal's wife's temple
Pakal's temple where in 1952 a noted archeologist found his tomb inside by entering through a tunnel that led to it.  This stele is a relief of Pakal with headress and we think haute couture is over the top!

This is a view of the observatory tower and the palace around it.
This is what was found in the sarcophagus of Pakel II, it was a jade facemask and adornemnts.  He ruled for about 30 years.  His body was covered with cinnabar and was red.  The funerary chamber was as shown below.  A beautiful relief of Pakal being received into the heavens after death was depicted.  This is a reconstitution in the Mexico city archeological museum.


A few colorful facades in the city of Palenque.  Below is the path we took to get to the ruins with water from a spring and suspended bridges.

 

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